Spurs sacrifice depth to land a star in tempting blockbuster 4-way proposal

The start of training camp is almost here for the San Antonio Spurs, who will have several fresh faces to try and incorporate. Future Hall of Famer Chris Paul, 2024 fourth overall pick Stephon Castle, and veteran Harrison Barnes are the biggest additions and will hopefully help the Spurs break their longest playoff drought in franchise history of five seasons.

That is all well and good, but an interesting deal proposed by Bleacher Reports' Greg Schwartz has San Antonio making a big last-minute trade ahead of training camp to add some additional firepower. The four-team deal would also include the Chicago Bulls, Phoenix Suns, and LA Clippers, with something to like for every team.

The Suns would get depth and cap relief, the Clippers would get an upgrade, the Bulls would add more young talent to a roster trending that way, and, lastly, the Spurs would add a star. However, it would cost San Antonio some much-needed depth, even if it may help them reach their ceiling quicker and add a valuable future asset. Next, we will look at the mock deal and see if it makes sense to the Spurs and the other teams involved.

Spurs land Zach LaVine in the deal

The cliff notes of the proposed deal involve the Spurs sending the Suns Zach Collins and the Bulls Keldon Johnson in exchange for Zach LaVine and an unprotected 2029 first. Additionally, the LA Clippers would receive Bradley Beal, an unprotected first from the Suns and two seconds, though not from the Spurs.

In return, the Suns would also get Norm Powell and PJ Tucker in addition to Collins. It's a lot, with the Spurs giving up two key players for an injured star on an awful contract and an unprotected first. That is a deal that would have made more sense before the Wembanyama era.

On the other hand, Collins is wildly overpaid as a backup center, and Johnson is far more replaceable with the additions of Castle and Barnes. Also, LaVine is the best player in the deal, assuming that he is healthy next season.

Add in a distant unprotected first in 2029, and the framework is there for a reasonable deal for San Antonio. Still, there is a minor tweak that might make the deal even better for the Spurs and the other teams might agree to. Next, we'll see whether the Spurs would do the trade.

Would the San Antonio Spurs agree to this trade?

Believe it or not, there is a scenario in which this trade could make sense for the Spurs with some minor tweaks. The Spurs already own Chicago's 2025 top-10 protected first-round pick. While the Bulls are set to tank this season, San Antonio would still have a chance to receive that pick in 2026 and 2027, with it being top 8 protected in both years.

If Schwartz's deal alters the protections of that pick, making it unprotected in 2026, then not only would the Spurs receive an unprotected first in 2029 from Chicago, but they would also get one in 2026 too. At the moment, it's questionable whether the Bulls pick will convey so guaranteeing that it would be like receiving two firsts.

Even so, giving up two rotation players just before the start of training camp for a star working his way back from injury is risky, as is adding the remaining three years and $137 million left on his contract. However, Johnson and Collins' contracts would offset almost half of that, and a healthy LaVine would be better than either player.

The Spurs would probably never do a deal like this at this point in the offseason, but it would make a lot more sense ahead of the trade deadline. If LaVine looks fine, the Spurs are on the outside of the playoff race, and the Bulls want to beef up their tanking efforts, then both teams might agree to the altered deal, as would the Clippers and Suns.